


Beyond the Reef

by Bubonicc



Series: Merformers [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Dominance, Human Ratchet, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Merformers, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, blood/wounds, mentions of eggs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-15 11:59:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7221502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubonicc/pseuds/Bubonicc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mer comes of age and the season is just right, it is time for mers to leave their nest and find a mate to settle in with. Unfortunately Rodimus has a little trouble with this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He dragged himself along the sand, having to pause every few minutes to catch his breath as he was already so exhausted.

        His body was littered in what looked like bite and scratch marks. Most of the scratches resided around his chest and arms, while the bites seemed to focus more on his neck and his tail. More serious gouges were left along his tail and underbelly, leaving him in an immense amount of pain as he had to drag himself up through the sand.

        He counted himself lucky when he surfaced out of the water and could already see Ratchet's beach house. Perks of an old man hording a bunch of fish in secret was that the beach house so close to the water, allowing them a quick getaway if needed.  

        Or in this case, a quick way home if needed.

        The sand hurt along his belly, irritating some of the more serious wounds as he tried to make his way to the beach house's deck.  The faster he could get into his closet and lick his wounds, the better.

        He climbed up onto the deck, pausing to look out over the ocean. The sun had already sunk itself halfway down the horizon, painting the ocean in a beautiful mix of oranges and pinks. Tonight would have been an exceptional night to share with someone.

        Turning around and pulling the glass door to the side, Rodimus slinked into the house. He paused on the inside, listening and hearing the sink running and the soft clicking of plates being put down to dry.

        Around the corner he could see Ratchet, his back to him, carefully scrubbing and rinsing off a plate before setting it on a rack to dry with several others. He hummed while he worked, and occasionally he would pause to watch a small TV on the counter drone on about the outside world's news.

        Hoping to sneak by Ratchet without him seeing in the sad sorry state he was in, Rodimus made his move when Ratchet went back to scrubbing dishes. He had hoped the sound of the running water would mask the sliding noise his body made against the tile floor, but when he was half way Ratchet perked up.

        "Back already Kup? I thought you would be out longer, already had your fill of crabs?" He looked over his shoulder and instead of seeing that usual chubby swamp green body; he caught the vibrant red of Rodimus back and tail.

        He turned, about to say something when he noticed some blood droplets were scattered about the ground.

        "Rodimus!" Tossing the wash rag he had down into the sink, he went after Rodimus, catching the door to the spare room as the mer tried to shut it on him. "Rodimus! Stop, what happened?"

        "Go away!"

        "Rodimus, stop pushing in the door, your tail is caught!" It seemed Rodimus had been in too much of a rush to notice he hadn't gotten all of himself into the room before trying to close Ratchet out. "Rodimus, please, talk to me." He waited through the long silence suddenly feeling the pressure on the door let up to allow him to enter.

        The room was, for the most part, empty; having been built primarily for his little family of mers, nothing but pillows and blankets littered the floor.

        Rodimus sat in the center of it all; his head and fins down as he sadly tried to fluff up a blanket to make a makeshift nest to rest in. He sniffled, avoiding at all cost any kind of eye contact with Ratchet as he could already feel him looking him over. Instead, he just licked at the cuts on his arms, trying to appease the terrible sting.

        Leaving the room for a moment, Ratchet came back with a little white box in hand. He sat himself down in front of Rodimus, carefully setting the box down and flipping the lid open.

        Without needing to be asked, Rodimus extends his arm to Ratchet, not really wanting to get into a fight he already knew he was going to lose. Plus he was too tired to be stubborn. Might as well let Ratchet do his thing and sleep.

        Ratchet dabbed at the claw marks, being as gentle as possible as he knew it stung each time the cotton ball made contact with the skin. He was quiet while he worked, having to bite his tongue as he wanted to ask more than anything why he kept coming home like this.

        Four times already he had come home in bad shape, though this seemed to be the worst out of it all. The cuts had never been this bad and there had never been more than one or two bite marks. Except now he was covered head to tail in them, and his lip had been split. This was by far the worst he had looked since leaving again.

        Rodimus' face was pale, cheeks were red, and under his eyes grew puffy as he watched Ratchet wrap a clean white wrap around his arm.

        "Ratchet," His voice was small and he swallowed hard before continuing, "Would I make a good mate?" Ratchet's dabbing on the next wound faltered as he processed the question.

        When it came time to leave the nest, or house in this case, Kup’s now grown pod would venture out into the ocean in hopes of finding a mate for the season. Springer had been the first to leave, having been the largest and the oldest, followed quickly by Whirl, Drift, and then Perceptor, leaving Rodimus as the last.

        At the time, it had been no big deal, as Rodimus had left when he was ready. He was confident, beautiful, and seemed like he would have no issue snagging somebody to nest with, but when it came time for his first dominance battle, he had lost.

        Back then it hadn't seemed so bad, as he just tried again the next week, only to lose again, and then again, and again. One after another he had the snot beaten out of him until he was bruised and bloody, having to do the swim of shame all the way back home to lick his wounds.

        The next week he tried again, and then the next week, and again, losing every match and slowly losing the confidence he had carried in with him on his first fight. It now was at the point he feared he might never win over a mate, never be loved or get to love.

        It had gotten to the point now that after a defeat he would immediately try again, resulting in his less than desirable state.

        He didn't have a body like Springer, he wasn't built and his hide wasn't tough. Claws making contact sliced him open with ease, and even with his own sharp claws they did little damage to other mers with tough hides. At this point, it seemed hopeless to keep trying.

        "What if I never find somebody?" The gills on Rodimus' neck flared outward as he exhaled, trying to hold off tears. "Kup's going to be disappointed."

        "Kup isn't going to be disappointed. Kup is proud of you, just like I am." Finishing up with the remaining wounds, Ratchet sat back in front of Rodimus. He gently cupped the mer’s cheek, giving him a reassuring smile. "It takes time. I mean look at me, I'm and old man now, and I was when I met Kup." Rodimus just nodded sadly, not really into the idea of waiting that long for a mate.

        With a sigh, Ratchet leaned in and hugged Rodimus close, rubbing his back and between his tattered fins.

        "I know it isn't what you want to hear, but I know you will find someone one day Rodimus. Don't rush yourself, you're still young and still have plenty of time." This was, as far as Ratchet knew, Rodimus' first attempt at a mating season. Kup had been reserved about it, considering he himself couldn't really participate in it, but what he did know was that there would be other seasons, and maybe then Rodimus would find someone. "Are you hungry, do you want me to make you something? I just caught some fresh cod this morning." Hoping that might cheer him up, Ratchet frowned when Rodimus shook his head and turned his back to him.

        Returning to fluffing his blankets, Rodimus flopped down in his blanket nest and sighed. He was tired, achy, and just wanted to answer the call to sleep. More than anything he just wanted to heal and go back out tomorrow morning to try again.

 

* * *

 

 

Outside the room, Kup waited, listening to Ratchet and the soft little sniffles generated by Rodimus. His fins sagged when he heard Rodimus express his fear of Kup being disappointed in him, which he wasn't at all.

        More than anything he wanted to go in there and comfort Rodimus, but he wasn't a pup anymore and seeing him after such a harsh defeat might upset him more. Perhaps in the morning with a nice fresh fish would perk him up a bit.

        Sitting up as he heard the door click, Kup watched Ratchet exit the room, making sure to close the door behind him to give Rodimus some peace and quiet so he could rest.

        "Roddy-" Kup followed Ratchet into the kitchen as he walked by, waiting patiently behind him as he put the first aid kit away.

        "He's not in the best shape." Ratchet said as he moved to the table, pulling a chair out so he could sit. Immediately Kup was at his side, looking up at him with those big eyes. "He keeps coming back worse and worse.  I'm worried one day he won't make it back." It was a shared concern, as Kup was also nervous.

        "I never thought Rodimus would be the one to have trouble." Kup nudged Ratchet's hand with his flat nose, insisting on some pets. "I always thought Percy would be the last to leave the nest." As Ratchet started to stroke the top of his head, he took a deep inhale, and then sighed. "I fear Rodimus might turn out like me and have to wait a long time for a mate."

        Ratchet looked down at his chubby mer, smiling and then kissing the top of his head.

        "But was I not worth the wait?" Kup looked up at him, then smiled and nuzzled his head under Ratchet's chin.   

        "You were worth it." Reaching up, Kup ran the tips of his webbed fingers through Ratchet's hair. He had a habit of it, loving how soft Ratchet's hair was and often played with it when he could.

        The years had been kind to Ratchet, only really making his beard and sections of his hair a little more gray than usual. Other than that he was still his usual working self.

        "Come on, let's get to bed, it's getting late. Tomorrow will be better." Rising from his chair, Ratchet placed his hand on the top of Kup's head before leading the way to their bedroom.

 

* * *

 

 

He had left early in the morning, when Kup and Ratchet were still wedged together on their bed snoring into one another.

        It was better this way, considering if he had left when they were awake they would have tried to stop him, Ratchet most of all. He would have wanted him to stay home and heal, get his strength back, but he wanted to try again. He had too.

        His smaller wounds had healed nearly completely, while the much more serious ones had at least closed and no longer stung when he entered the cold water. It was enough for now that he could swim to the shallow cove where the fights would be held without stopping.

        It was about half a day's trip, and upon arrival he could already see quite a few mers who had already gathered around ready to battle.

        Already off to the sideline he could see several of the prize mers waiting to be claimed. Several purple, blue, and yellow female mers and a few smaller male mers all waited together for a mate to battle over them and claim them.

        Unfortunately there were a lot more hot and bothered mers than there were prizes and a lot of the battle ready ones would be doing the swim of shame back home.

        "Not today." Rodimus swam over to wait with the other contestants, waiting for the start.

        Like always, a much older mer could instruct the prize mers to swim through the contestants, bumping them and rubbing themselves along their bodies to get them revved up and needy for them.

        One of the purple females bumped Rodimus, purring and peeping at him and wiggling her midsection around him to show interest. Two other females and one male did the same to him, all making sounds of submission to him, rolling on their backs in the water to display their swollen genital slits to him and what he would get if he won.

        _If_ he won, he would get his pick of one who rubbed against him.

        Rodimus never had an issue with mers expressing interest in him, he always had a good selection of mates, but it was all about winning one. If he lost a battle, he also lost the interest of all potential mates. Of course he could challenge a mer for another try, but risk getting himself killed.

        The fighting began, and the prizes all barked on the sideline as two large males clashed with one another.

        One large all black mer rammed a green and white mer, tangling themselves and clawing at one another until blood was drawn.

        They pushed away, gaining speed by swimming circles around one another before clashing again and again. Bites, scratches, tail whipping, the fights never lasted more than five or ten minutes before a mer either swam off or was too hurt to continue and submit to the winner.

        The winning mer would swim to the cluster of prize mers, take his pick, and be off with them, leaving the next round open.

        Swimming out into the open space, Rodimus fluffed himself up to look as tough as possible. It was difficult considering his golden fins were still shredded in some areas and wrinkled.

        He looked over at the prize mers, honking to them and twisting in the water, displaying himself at them before turning back to face his opponent.

        His fins immediately sagged upon laying eyes on the huge gray mer he would be facing. Nearly twice his size and significantly bulkier, it smirked at him with rows of jagged teeth.  

        Trying to regain composure, Rodimus flapped his fins up and hissed before lunging forward.

        The gray mer lunged as well and the two collided. Already he was in trouble, as the gray mer outweighed him and easily pushed him, getting over him and latching onto his neck for a hard bite.

        "Ah!" He twisted, bringing his tail up to slap at the mer’s side in an attempt to get him to let go.

        It failed and the mer jerked him around, digging its claws into his chest and slicing him open like butter.

        In some sort of attempt of retaliation, Rodimus scraped his claws along the mer’s chest, feeling them barely dig into the tough hide and leave weak scratches along its surface.

        He was thrashed about, blood coloring the water as the mer swam around with him in his mouth like some sad excuse for a squeaky toy.

        He didn't let up his scratching; continuing to tear at Rodimus' arms and lower belly until finally there was a high pitched squeal of submission. Another one erupted from his mouth as the mer dragging him around didn't let go, not until he was brought back to the center of the open battlespace did he drop him.

        Rodimus sank, watching his blood rise to the water's surface. He was dizzy and felt terribly ill as he watched with blurred vision as the winner moved his way into the prize mers and claimed one of the purple females. He watched with a heavy heart as the mer bumped his hips into her, already getting rowdy and ready. 

        All the rest turned away from him, looking onto the next fight as they let Rodimus sink into the sand.

 


	2. Chapter 2

He wasn't sure at first how long he had been passed out against the ocean's floor, but it apparently had been long enough for a few crabs to crawl all over him, tickling him and rousing him from his slumber.

        When he opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust, he picked his head up and looked at the three crabs scuttling around on his belly. They picked at his skin, eating some moss off of him before he flicked them off and let his head flop back into the sand. He closed his eyes for a moment, reopened them, and looked up at the ocean's surface.  

        There was a beautiful pink and purple gloss over the waters top, suggesting it was already late in the afternoon and that he had managed to stay knocked out nearly all day. Maybe it had been for the best, considering he felt like hell and he was sure if he hadn't fainted his pain would be worse.

        All that mattered now was getting home and hoping he could sneak past Ratchet and Kup without them seeing him. He already knew he was a disappointment, always coming back a loser when all the other members of his pod were happily paired off. It should be him by now that was paired off and exploring; instead, he was flicking crabs off his tail and licking at his wounds.

        Gills flaring outwards, he took a deep breath, exhaling and watching as a few bubbles escaped the large gill slits along his sides. It hurt a bit to breath, his chest achy and sore from the deep gouges running along his delicate hide. He considered himself lucky they hadn't bled much, or maybe they had at first when he had been out cold but as of right now they were just open wounds. Regardless, they hurt, and every time he took a breath it irritated them.

        He sat himself up and pushed off the ocean's floor; swimming back up to the open area the battle had been held. It hadn't been a surprise to him that everybody was gone, paired off and happy, leaving him with nothing but vast open ocean all around.

        He opened his mouth and let out a loud honk like noise, calling to anybody who might still be in the area and looking for a mate. He waited a few seconds for a response, and when none came he opened his mouth again for a second try but stopped. No point in trying to soften the blow for himself, he had lost and any available mates who had seen wouldn't be interested in him, so it was pointless.

        "Tsk, whatever." With a flap of his shredded fins, he turned and made his way in the direction of home. His pace was slow, terribly slow considering the gouges along his tail hurt him every time he flapped it in the water.  It resulted in him flapping his tail once every few minutes and allowing his body to coast in the water, occasionally taking advantage of the small currents and allowing them to carry him a little faster.

        _This is so hopeless._

        Rodimus thought as he swam, keeping his head low as if it did anything to hide his shame.

        _I don't understand why I can't just be good enough. I did everything I was supposed to, left with all the others on time, and I was the only one to keep coming back. It's not fair, why can't I just-_

Thought process interrupted when his face made contact with something not exactly hard, he squished himself against something.  It was sort of soft, warm, and turned around to look at him when he swam back a bit.

        Rodimus rubbed his nose, eyes popping open as something large and blue towered over him. It took him a moment to process it was another mer, at least three times his size, perhaps a whale mix?

        The mers eyes widened when they locked onto Rodimus. He had a rather large crab in his hand, one of its legs torn off as he must have been enjoying it for a snack. One of his cheeks was slightly puffed out, no doubt due to some of the crab meat inside. He swallowed hard, turning fast as Rodimus weaved around him and mumbled a halfhearted apology. As he watched the red and gold mer swim by, he eyes his wounds, dropping his crab suddenly.

        "Sorry." Rodimus didn’t look back, missing the star struck look on the colossal mers face.

        "Are you alright?" The large mer pursued Rodimus, swimming up to his side and even a bit in front of him. "You're wounded. Is there someplace you are going to rest, someplace safe? I can carry you if you like."

        "I'm fine, just a long day." He didn't have time to talk, he just wanted to get home and rest.

        "I have a good seaweed mix that will help those heal faster. It's not a good idea to let them heal open like that exposed in the water." The blue mer was persistent, allowing Rodimus to swim around him but keeping pace with him. It wasn't exactly difficult considering he was moving at a snail's pace and one flap of that large tail could probably leave him in the dust.

        "I don't need your help, I don't need anybody’s help!" He tried to swim faster, his sides suddenly aching at the strain. He had only been swimming for a few hours but already he was so tired. "I just... I just want to get home, okay?" His fins sagged and he coasted a bit, coming to a stop in the water, trying to catch his breath. "I just want to go home." It was still so far, and he was so tired, so very tired. Having been passed out on the ocean's floor had left him restless and stiff.

        The large blue mer had paused, watching Rodimus swim away from him only a few feet to pause.  A bit of blood was staining the water around Rodimus' chest, some of the wounds having reopened from his exertion.

        He looked back at the large mer, who just floated there, watching him yet giving him plenty of personal space.

        There was no way at this rate he was going to get home by himself, plus staying out after sunset with open wounds usually invited predators near. If he didn't get home by at least the middle of the night Kup and Ratchet would no doubt worry about him if they were not already.  

        "You really don't mind carrying me?" Rodimus turned his back to the blur mer, his face red as he felt like an idiot. Getting so badly hurt he had to catch a ride home rather than swim himself, this was a new low.  

        Swimming up and around Rodimus, the mer gave him a soft smile and nodded to him.

        "Just point me in the direction and I will have you there." He turned, offering his back to Rodimus and waited for him to wrap his arms around his neck to secure himself and points back in the direction of home.

        "That way, eventually you will reach a beach, that's my stop."

        Lurching forward in the direction his passenger had pointed, the blue mer moved surprisingly smoothly.

        "So," Rodimus spoke after a few minutes, resting his cheek on the massive mers shoulder, "What's your name? I haven't ever seen you before."

        "Ultra Magnus." The blue mer responded, glancing over his shoulder to see Rodimus' eyes drooping tiredly. "You may call me Magnus though." Magnus flapped his arms in the water, boosting his speed a bit. "And your name?"

        Rodimus had closed his eyes but said, "Rodimus." He moved his head down, resting his cheek between powerful shoulder blades. He could feel the underlying muscles flex each time the large mer used his arms to boost their speed. There was something so soothing about feeling Magnus' muscles work, something that had Rodimus relaxing and resting his fully body against the big blue mers body rather than letting it drag behind him in the water.

        At one point Rodimus had lost the battle to sleep, sagging against Magnus' back, he was lucky the mer didn't seem to mind.  In fact he had often glanced over his shoulder, smiling at Rodimus cute little face squished against his massive shoulder blade, completely content.

        Not wanting to wake him, Magnus slowed his pace, allowing for a nice smooth ride all the way home.

 

* * *

 

 

"Thank you for the ride." Rodimus pushed off of Magnus' back, looking up at the water and seeing Ratchet's summer home through the rippling waves.

        "Will you be okay?" There was a weary look on Magnus' face as he also looked up at the house. He wasn't too sure leaving Rodimus this close to humans was a good idea, but the little Mer seemed oddly calm about it. "There is a place not far from here that would be safer-" He paused, watching Rodimus swim closer to shore until his lower belly dragged on the sand. "Rodimus-" Magnus followed him all the way to the surface and halfway out of the water.

        He froze when he saw there was a light on in the little house, which no doubt meant humans were home. That though didn't seem to deter the little red and gold mer from scooting all the way up to the deck, opening a large chest next to the door and rummaging around in it.

        Magnus watched on as Rodimus pulled a fish from the ice, put it in his mouth, and then scoot all the way back down to him at the water.

        "Here." he took the fish from his mouth and held it out in both hands to Magnus. "I know it's sort of small for someone your size but I don't have anything else to offer as thanks."

        Magnus looked at the fish and then at Rodimus who looked like he had gone through a paper shredder. The wounds on his arms were puffy and swollen, irritated just like the ones on his chest. Some of the webbing between his fingers was ripped but he seemed to pay no mind to it as he hoisted the fish up a little higher for Magnus to see.

        "T-Thank you." He took it, holding it in two large hands while not breaking eye contact with Rodimus.

        He was... adorable. Just the way the moonlight was catching off his cheeks he seemed to glow, even in his ragged condition.

        Fins popping up as Rodimus turned around and started to scoot away, Magnus nearly dropped his fish when he grabbed one of Rodimus' hands.

        Stopping and turning back to face Magnus, Rodimus stared at him.

        "Uh-" Magnus pulled his hand back, clearing his throat and looking to the side. "Will I see you again?" He felt his cheeks heat up. "I want to make sure your wounds heal." Yeah. That's why.

        Rodimus blinked and opened his mouth to say something, getting cut off when the sound of a door opening and closing caused the two mers to jump.

        "Rodimus?" The voice was familiar, and when Rodimus turned around to face the house he could see Ratchet on the deck looking out over the ocean. It was too dark for him to properly see but he was certain he could see a mer. "Roddy?" Ratchet stepped down the first three steps of the deck, trying to get a better look out over the water.

        If Rodimus didn't respond Ratchet would turn on the back deck light and he would be spotted with this huge mer.

        Without saying anything, Rodimus scooted himself quickly up to shore and through the sand, leaving Magnus to sink back into the water up to his shoulders. He watched Rodimus scoot up onto the deck and some sort of mild shouting as the human took in the damage on Rodimus' body.

        Turning in the water, Magnus dived under, keeping the fish close to his chest as he went on his way.

 

* * *

 

Kneading his blanket, Rodimus looked out through the sliding glass door at the ocean. The water was calm, gently sloshing back and forth onto the beach as the night had progressed.  

        Covered head to tail in bandages again, Rodimus had allowed Kup to groom him earlier to calm his nerves. As he had thought he had given his adoptive father a fright when he discovered he had left the house without telling anybody. Grooming him made him feel better, and in all honesty it felt great on Rodimus' sore body.

        Now, he settled into his blanket, debating if he should leave again tomorrow morning and try again or wait a few weeks like Ratchet had suggested. Mating season lasted at least two more months before a break to allow mers to lay their clutches. A few weeks to rest wouldn't really be too bad... unless he continued to fail.

        He didn't really want to think about it; instead he just rolled over, away from the ocean and closed his eyes.

        He would rest, and he would get better.

 

* * *

 

Like always, mers congregated at the unusual meeting spots for dominance battles. Prizes chirped at the larger mers, twisting themselves in the water to show off their flexibility to their possible mates and purring at them when they came by.

        It had been three weeks since he had returned, and so far all of the mers who had shown up he hadn't seen before. This pleased him, considering only prize mers who had never been selected usually returned the following day to snag another mate from the new group of contestants. So far, everybody was new, which made him feel hopeful.

        Like usual, the ceremony started and the prize mers moved through the contestants, peeping and twirling, some nuzzling them before moving back to their designated area to watch the fights. It wasn't uncommon for passerby mers to stop and watch the battles, and already Rodimus could see a few gathering being the prizes to watch.

        His golden fins suddenly stood up when a deep blue mer he recognized the shape off towered over the crowd in front of him.

        _Magnus?_

        At first he thought Magnus might swim over to the contestant group, considering his size it would probably be easy for him to win a prize. It surprised Rodimus when he stopped behind the onlookers, seeming to just stay behind them and watch as two mers already started to clash together with one another.

        He seemed puzzled as he watched, not really that entertained as the two mers sliced each other open. He didn't really fit in with the small crowd of cheering onlookers and didn't seem to notice Rodimus right away. At least not until the large mer Rodimus had been hiding behind moved into the open ring to fight next, leaving him exposed.

        Immediately Magnus perked up, spotting the red and gold mer and tilting his head almost in confusion. The large fins at his side wafted outwards as he seemed suddenly anxious when Rodimus was shoved forwards next to compete.

        Swimming to the center of the ring and waiting for his opponent, Rodimus swallowed hard when he was paired with a large red mer. He was double the size of him, hefty with massive arms that looked like they could snap him in half like a dry twig.

        Rodimus jerked back, nearly dodging a hand full of claws before he twirled in the water and tried to zip around the big mer.  He had learned that his speed would always outmatch theirs and that mers always had softer flesh around their fins. If he could just get to it-

        He tried to zip around the mer, his body jerking hard when the mer caught his with his teeth and yanked him away, throwing him in the water across the open ring.

        The mer raked their claws against his back, shredding Rodimus' thin golden fins in one single stroke before coming back around and slicing him across the chest.

        The mer suddenly zipped away, giving Rodimus room to situate himself and taunt him from across the water. He barked at the crowd, egging them on to cheer for him as he lunched at Rodimus again and punched him across the face.

        Head jerking back, Rodimus could taste blood in his mouth, and when his head came back down, he was punched again. The mers fist made contact with the gills on his side, and there was a loud crunch as the cartilage gave way, leaving Rodimus breathless and gasping as he sank back.

        He wrapped his arms around himself as his body hunched into himself, the world around him blurring for a moment as he started to panic when he couldn't catch his breath.  

        The mer attacking him pushed off him, zipped back to the edge of the open ring and lunged at Rodimus a third time, claws drawn. He didn’t have time to block, there was no way, this was it-

        Something large and blue threw itself between the two of them, and a loud menacing roar caused the attacking mer to flare out its fins in a desperate attempt to stop itself from colliding with the whale of a mer.

        Running right into Magnus' chest, the mer tried to backpedaled, though it didn't react fast enough and received a hard swipe from Magnus' arm, sending it reeling into the sidelines.

        Magnus flared out his fins and fills, flexing his arms and roaring into the open water. He turned, facing the contestants, roaring at them with this deep bellow and showing them his fangs and immediately they backed off.

        With a snort, Magnus turned, his fins flopping down and his fluffed up exterior relaxing as he looked at Rodimus.

        His cheek was already swelling from the punch, and the fresh slices on him were bleeding. Slowly he had started to sink, and he reached out his arms to Magnus who caught them, lifting him back up and into his arms, safely tucked against his chest from any of the other mers who might try to attack him.

        Turning back to the other mers, Magnus let out a low growl before turning and carrying Rodimus out of the ring.

        "Where are we going?" Rodimus wheezed, his gills flaring out randomly as he still struggled to get his breathing regulated.

        "Someplace safe." Magnus looked down, frowning at Rodimus’ swelling face, and for a moment he looked like he might try to cuddle him, but he held back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good news is the next chapter is going to be full of roddymags fluffy goodness.  
> Aaaand maybe something a little more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was supposed to be super long, but I decided making the last chapter of this fic full of what we have been waiting for would be nice. Plus some extras. Eventually Ill upload the original pupformer fic and ill actually work on the fic from the start and not random jumps in time.

He had sunken himself up to his waist in the hot spring’s water, groaning as it was already doing wonders for his aching joints. He had been surprised when Magnus had first suggested the place, considering he didn’t think places like this could exist so close to the island, but alas…

Ten or so miles from the mainland, several smaller islands of rock could be seen littering the water. All of them had been too small for humans to build upon, so they often remained untouched. The hot spring itself was hidden from the outside world, only accessible by going underwater and swimming under the island to a small cavern inside. The cavern itself had an open ceiling, and the sky could be seen, but they were surrounded entirely by walls.

Getting up onto the inner land in the chamber, there seemed to be a natural ramp that formed leading up to the slightly elevated hot spring. It seemed convenient considering when one was done with the spring, they could leap from the edge and dive down into the oceans’ water and move on. All in all, it seemed to be an incredibly peaceful spot, hidden from prying eyes and unwanted guests, he felt safe.

Below, Rodimus heard the water being disturbed and looked down, seeing Magnus surface and climb onto the small rock shore and make his way up the ramp. He could see a large fish in his mouth and something green and knotted in his right hand. As the large mer got to the top of the spring and let himself slide into it, Rodimus finally noticed it was seaweed.

Dropping the fish into his free hand, Magnus extended it to Rodimus.

“Here, eat this, you must be hungry.” Upon Rodimus taking the fish with shy hands, Magnus turned away from him. He put his attention on a small rock shelf, setting the seaweed down on it and separating it into two piles, one larger than the other.

Picking up a palm sized rock; Magnus brought it down on the larger sized pile of seaweed. Grinding it against the stone, he mashed it, turned it, and mashed it again and again until it was a thick green paste.

Watching on quietly, Rodimus peeled sections of his fish apart, sticking them in his mouth and eating as quietly as possible. It was incredibly tasty and plump with meat, filling his aching belly well.

“Thank you,” Rodimus started, his tone soft, “for stepping in when you did.” He took another bite of his fish, chewing slowly and not looking up when Magnus turned to face him.

“You’re welcome.” Turning back to his work, Magnus scooped the green paste into one hand while his free one gathered the remaining bits of seaweed. “This will make you feel better.” Scooting himself in front of Rodimus, Magnus showed him the green paste. “May I-” He pointed at Rodimus’ wounds and waited for him to nod.

Dipping two fingers into the paste, Magnus brought it up to Rodimus’ shoulder first, smearing it into a cut and pausing when he felt Rodimus flinch away.

It stung, but only for a moment, and Rodimus relaxed, nodding for Magnus to continue smearing the paste along every wound he had. The gouges along his sides were extra sensitive, and Magnus was as careful as he could be, cooing soft apologies every time Rodimus hissed.

“Are you breathing okay?” Grazing his fingers over Rodimus’ gills that covered his sides, he watched them pump. It was good Rodimus could still breathe through them considering the force that had struck them.

“It hurts, but yeah, I can breathe.” With that, Magnus took the scraps of extra seaweed into hand and started to wrap it around areas he had placed the paste. It was a makeshift bandage but it would do.

Looking down over the ledge, Rodimus spotted a tent on the ground. It was sun bleached and mangled by the elements, though oddly enough still standing despite it being nearly torn apart. Books and empty beer cans surrounded it along with some rocks placed in a circle. Perhaps a campfire had been built there at one point?

“This place is nice.” Rodimus said, still looking down over the edge for anything else that might be interesting.

“I found it by accident.” Tying off one last bandage, Magnus scooted back to get a good look at Rodimus, making sure he didn’t miss anything. Once satisfied he put his attention on the patches of dried blood along some areas of Rodimus neck and back.  “May I groom you?” Again he waited for Rodimus to nod before moving behind him and getting right to work.

Licking at his neck, he felt Rodimus relax into him and sigh.

“By accident?” He felt Magnus lick down to his shoulder blade, then back up to the bottom of his neck before leaning back to respond. 

“I am a roamer. I have no home in particular. A long time ago nearly my entire pod had been killed off by a pack of human hunters. They had cornered us to a shallow cove, trapping us against an island and a net.” He paused, lapping at one of Rodimus tattered fins, “and they even went after pups.”

Rodimus frowned as he played with one of his own fins, rubbing it between two fingers nervously. He was aware how dangerous humans could be, as Ratchet had taught him a long time ago to be careful. Not all humans were nice like him.

“Few of us managed to escape, but the pod was gone. From there we parted ways, hoping to find new pods.” Magnus paused again, nibbling on Rodimus’ shoulder, careful of his seaweed bandage. “It’s been several years now since then, and I have yet to find a new pod. It seems mers of my kind are extremely rare.”

“Is that why you were at the dominance battle? Were you looking for a mate to join a pod?” He felt Magnus’ tongue on the back of his neck again, he was quiet for a moment, just grooming.

“I was just passing through when I happened to see. I myself haven’t tried for a mate since my original pod was lost.” Finishing up, Magnus scooted himself to Rodimus’ side. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and just soaking up the warm water until he glanced at Rodimus.

“When I first saw you thought you had been attacked by something, like by another mer or a human. I now know I wasn’t wrong, as I wasn’t expecting you to be in a dominance fight. It was even more surprising to see you as a combatant.”

“It’s not my first time there-” Looking down, Rodimus continued to fiddle with the tip of his fin. “It’s been months since I first started going, and each time I keep losing. All the mers I’m against are huge and so much stronger than me. I’m not really sure I’ll ever win a mate at this rate.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why have you continued to be a combatant and not a prize? There is no shame in being a prize mer. Are you one of those kinds of mers who don’t like to carry a clutch of eggs?” He had known in his lifetime certain mers who never liked to lay a fertile clutch of eggs. It seemed reasonable to him, and he didn’t judge. Plus, Rodimus seemed young, had he even laid his first clutch yet?

Magnus didn’t ask, as those were personal mer details that he had no business knowing, but he did get a confused look from Rodimus.

“I never really thought about it, actually.” He blushed, feeling stupid now. All of his pod brothers had been proud combatants; he figured he would be too. “I haven’t laid my first clutch yet, by the end of the season I will though. Though they will be infertile if I don’t find a mate. Besides, who would want to be my mate after seeing me lose so many times?” He sank in the water up to his nose, blowing bubbles into it.

Sitting himself back up after a moment, Rodimus just rubbed his face.

“Kup’s probably disappointed in me by now.”

“Kup?” Magnus tilted his head to the side.

“You remember that house you brought me to all that time ago?” He watched Magnus nod at him. “I live there with Kup, and Ratchet, my parents… so to speak. Kup found me when I was a pup and took me in, I have no idea who my real parents are. Soon after that, we met Ratchet, who saved Kup. I can’t really remember it all it was a long time ago, but Ratchet is a human. That house belongs to him, and we have lived there with him ever since. He takes care of us, and we take care of him. Actually there are a few humans we know that come around. We all sort of just take care of one another.” Rodimus trailed off, “It’s my pod.” He shouldn’t have been surprised by Magnus’ off put look. Considering his experience with humans, it seemed hard to believe to him that they could be anything but cruel.

“I know it seems crazy, but most of the people that live on the Island are accepting of mers. Maybe it’s because so many of us live around the island and are on the beaches, but humans here are not all cruel.” He should shut up now before he chased the only mer away that has been looking out for him. The last thing he wanted to do was say something wrong and he had a habit of blabbering when he became nervous. “I’ll… be quiet now.”

“I do not hate humans. Just do not understand them.” Looking up through the hole on the cavern's ceiling, Magnus watched the sky fade to a pink, suggesting the sun was going down. “We are two different cultures, and perhaps that is just how nature is. Knowing you and your pod and coexist gives me hope.” Looking down and scooting himself out of the water, Magnus extended his hand to Rodimus. “Let’s rest. Tomorrow I will take you home if you do not mind.” As Rodimus took his hand, he smiled and nodded.

Together they slid down the narrow rocky ramp to the area the tattered camping tent stood.

Not realizing they were still holding hands, Rodimus still held on even when Magnus tried to let go.

“Sorry.” He pulled his hand back, feeling his cheeks heat up as he watched Magnus poke his head inside of the tent and pull some of the ratty blankets out.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything more comfortable. If I had found someplace safe by now I would have already started constructing a nest.” He tossed the blankets down, three in total away from the water and patted it, coaxing Rodimus over.

Rodimus frowned only a moment before pulling himself onto the covers. The thought of Magnus possibly moving on and away from here for some reason had his stomach flipping. He rubbed his own belly, hearing Magnus shift behind him.

“Are you warm enough?” He was carefully folding the edge of the blankets into perfect corners.

“This is perfect.” Looking down, Rodimus noticed the makeshift nest wasn’t big enough for the two of them.

“Where are you going to sleep?” Magnus looked up at him, and then tilted his head in the direction of the tattered tent. “There.” It happened to be the place he had been sleeping all this time before he had met Rodimus. The tent didn’t really provide any sort of shelter, but Magnus had never bothered removing the blankets before so sleeping inside seemed best at the time.

“Don’t worry, it’s no inconvenience” He assured him. “Just worry about getting some rest.” Bowing his head at Rodimus to bid him goodnight, Magnus turned his back to him and scooted his way across the cavern to his tattered tent. As he got inside, it bulged, his tail and fins hanging outside some of the tears on the tent walls. It was sort of comical, and cute, leaving Rodimus smiling from where he lay.

 

* * *

 

A cool draft pulled Rodimus from his slumber, making him shiver and half sit up. He groaned when his body ached, not liking to be disturbed so late in the night.

Blinking his eyes rapidly in an attempt to clear his blurry vision, Rodimus made out Magnus still asleep in his tent. He could hear his harsh breaths and an occasional chitter escape the whale of a mer before another draft of cool air had Rodimus wrapping his arms around himself.

Scooting himself over to Magnus’ tent, Rodimus paused at the opening and looked inside to see a small space between the tents wall and Magnus’ back. It seemed big enough for him to fit, not to mention it was probably warm.

Hesitating only a few seconds until another gust of chilled air flowed through the cavern, Rodimus started to move inside.

He dragged himself over Magnus’ tail, bringing himself to rest in the small space, already warming up. It was perfect, even though his tail hung outside of the tent door, it would do. He was warm, and he could have sworn he even felt Magnus scoot over a bit to give him more room.

Getting comfortable, Rodimus yawned and tucked his arms under himself. He allowed his eyes to grow heavy and the soft crashing wave and Magnus’ deep breathing to lull him back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Upon daybreak, Magnus removed Rodimus’ seaweed bandages and groomed off the excess paste left over. Already the wounds were looking much better, and in a few days Rodimus would be as good as new.

Together they left the spring, heading directly for Ratchet’s beach house. On the way they chatted with one another, and caught fish and crabs to share with one another for breakfast.

As they drew near to the beach by Rodimus’ home, Magnus paused just below the water’s surface. Rodimus swam right past him, pausing a few feet ahead of him and turning back to look at him, confused.

“You can come up, you know.” He watched Magnus shake his head. He didn’t like to surface in the daylight, often his size attracted too much unwanted attention from humans. The last thing he wanted now was a repeat of all those years ago. Even if the people in this area were more understanding, he just wasn’t ready.

“I have to stay here.” Magnus watched the little red and gold mer swim up to him, his expression upset. “You’ll know where I will be if you ever want to visit, Rodimus.” Taking Rodimus’ hands into his own, Magnus leaned down enough to nuzzle the side of Rodimus’ face.

He purred, squeezing Rodimus’ hands as he pulled away and smiled at Rodimus’ expression. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushed a light pink.

What Magnus didn’t know was Rodimus’ heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest, and it ached when the large mer turned away. All this time he had felt like not a soul could ever love him, nobody outside of his own pod anyway. Nor had he thought he himself would ever love someone, at least not until now.

“Mags.” Rodimus was left floating there, watching the massive mer vanish into the vast space of the ocean.

 

* * *

 

Upon entering the house and making a small peep, Kup came bounding down the hall to slam into Rodimus. He hugged him, licking his cheek, and peeped back at him frantically. He had been worried when Rodimus hadn’t returned the day before something awful had happened.

Instead of rushing off, or pushing Kup away for being so clingy, Rodimus hugged him and sighed. It felt good to be missed, to be worried about, and to be hugged.

When Ratchet joined in, they squashed Rodimus between them, making him laugh and then wince when his still healing wounds throbbed.

Later in the day, Ratchet had checked his wounds, cooked him something tasty, and let him rest.

When night fell, Rodimus found himself in his room staring out the glass window once again, lost in through.

_A prize mer, huh._

Rodimus rolled over on his blankets, fiddling with the tag that hung off one edge. He still felt incredibly stupid for not thinking of it sooner, than again he wasn’t sure he was okay with mers like that claiming him. At the time it seemed like a good idea to do the claiming and move on… but now-

_If I displayed myself at Magnus, would he want to mate with me? Is that even a thing I can do? Can I ask him to mate with me straight forward without a battle? Is that a thing?_

Rodimus’ lower half squirmed at the thought, and for the first time he felt his slit throb with want. In fact the more he thought about courting with Magnus, the more bothered he seemed to get.

As he squirmed, he could feel the tip of his spike peeping out the top of his genital slit. It slipped out a little more when he arched, whining into his covers. He hadn’t realized how needy he had been all this time. The last time he had felt this bothered was during the start of the season, when he was hopeful of actually snagging a mate like all the rest of his pod members. He remembered feeling the heat of nature calling. He assumed it had died down after his repeated loses; now only boiling back up at the potential of an actual mate.

Maybe it was because it had been so long, but it felt stronger than he had remembered. His hips twitched and bucked, and he started to pant, wishing Magnus was there now to help him.

“Mags.” He whined as he rubbed his swelling slit against the covers. Sure he could stimulate his spike, but his inner slit was still aching and hungry for a spike.

Burying his face into his pillow and whining, he let his body flop against the floor as he tried to calm himself down. No point in getting worked up when Magnus hasn’t even accepted the offer yet. He had gotten his hopes up before and every time he had struck out. There were only a few weeks left to the season, and when it ended all potential mates would either be tending to their clutches of eggs, or migrate to a different location.

_Tomorrow._

He would go to Magnus’ hidden cave and display himself, like he had seen all the other prize mers doing, and hopefully Magnus would accept the offer.

He hoped more than anything, considering there was something about this mer that had his heart doing flips in his chest. If there was any mer he wanted to mate with, it was him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week~


	4. Chapter 4

The early morning air always had a slight chill to it, making Rodimus shiver as he left the warmth of the house.

               He had risen an hour before sunrise, scooting his way through the house as quietly as possible. The last thing he wanted right now was to hear Ratchet lecture him about needing a few weeks to rest. If he waited any longer the season would be over, today was going to be it. He could do it.

               Pausing outside of Ratchet’s room, Rodimus pressed his hand flat against the door and gently pushed it open about an inch. He peeked through, getting a glimpse of the good doctor sleeping on his side, his back to Rodimus. There was some muffled snoring, and then Ratchet lifted his arm to scratch at the middle of his back before he brought it back down to rest.

               Leaning back, he sighed, just listening to Ratchet’s snorts for a few minutes before finally turning and making his way over to the front door.

               Outside, the sun was peeking over the horizon, giving the gentle rolling waves a beautiful pink glow. The air was calm, his surrounding quiet as he scooted himself down the steps and let his lower belly come to rest on the cool sands.

               His heart pounded as he scooted faster and faster across the sand, suddenly coming to an abrupt stop when he spotted something sitting just on the edge of the ocean’s water.

               Kup was sitting with his tail curled around him, back to Rodimus, just watching the sun rise off in the distance. He seemed to be fiddling with the end of his tail, pausing when Rodimus moved over and sat down next to him.

               “I thought you would be asleep with Ratchet.” He was sort of kicking himself for not noticing Kup wasn’t in the room when he had snuck a peek. If Ratchet wasn’t going to get the chance to lecture him, Kup would.

               “Sometimes I’m up early. I like to watch the sunrise, never had much of a chance when we lived primarily in the water.  Kup let his tail flop against the sand before looking up at Rodimus. “Have you eaten?” That seemed to confuse Rodimus at first, at least until he figured Kup must have meant breakfast.

               “No.” Rodimus shook his head and watched Kup reach to his side, lifting up a small fish. He pulled it in half, handing Rodimus a piece while he bit into his half.

               “Eat before you go.” Rodimus may have been a full blown adult at this point, but Kup still liked to take care of him as if he was still that cute little pup he had first found. It had been hard watching the others go, and it would be hard to watch Rodimus go, so moments like this, he cherished.

               Rodimus ate slow, watching the sunrise with Kup until his fish was fully consumed and it was once again time for him to make his journey.

               Leaning over and nuzzling Kup goodbye, Rodimus scooted himself through the sand and into the ocean’s water.

               “Roddy,” Rodimus paused, turned and looked at Kup who had a gentle smile on his face, “I’m proud of you.”

               Fins sagging, Rodimus felt a knot forming in his throat, and he looked out at the ocean, and then back at Kup before scooting himself as quickly as he could back up to the beach.

               He slammed into Kup, hugging him as tightly as his arms would allow. He felt Kup hugging him back, nuzzling the side of his face and letting him go when he leaned back.

               Rubbing tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, Rodimus scooted himself back into the ocean, vanishing under the waves.

         

* * *

 

 

The closer he got to Magnus’ little island, the more nervous he became. His heart pounded against his chest and more than once he had to pause his swimming in an attempt to get a hold of himself.

               He spent a good amount of the swim thinking of how he was going to present himself to Magnus as a possible mate. How should he display himself? What sort of moves should he use? Should he do exactly what the others had done?

               He looked down at his genital slit, still slightly swollen from the previous night’s thoughts. It throbbed on occasion, worsening when he thought about Magnus accepting his offer and courting him for the first time. The thought of the two of them intertwined had him panting and his cheeks flushing a deep red. By the time he had reached Magnus’ island, Rodimus’ slit was engorged and terribly sensitive.

               Floating a few feet under the surface of the water that lead up into the secret cave, Rodimus pulled on one of his golden fins nervously and opened his mouth. He paused, noticing Magnus swimming close to the bottom of the ocean's floor, seeming to be collecting some things. He didn’t seem to notice Rodimus’ arrival as his back was to the nervous mer.

               Pulling on his fingers and looking around as if somebody was going to come up and beat the snot out of him again, Rodimus swallowed down his fear and let out the first shrill mating call. It was high pitched, deepening at the end into a low rumble.  

               He tried for a second call, but the moment Magnus turned around and locked eyes with him, the call became lodged in his throat. He honked, feeling his face burn in embarrassment at the noise as he approached the mer below.

               This was it, now all he had to do was his little display dance and hope Magnus accepted him as his mate. How hard could it be right? All those others mers made it look easy, how hard was it going to be to just roll around and show off?

               Reaching the ocean's floor where Magnus had seemingly been collecting some crabs for breakfast, Rodimus swam around the whale of a mer.

               “Roddy?” Magnus tilted his head in confusion, watching the red and gold mer flare his fins out at him and gargle out a deep purr.

               Rolling onto his back in the water, Rodimus slid his hands down his narrow belly, leading Magnus’ eye to his swollen genital slit before rolling back over to display his back. He wiggled his body at him. He twisted and twirled in an elegant display, chittering to Magnus in hopes for a response.

               He did circles around the mer, bumping into him with his lower body on occasion, almost nervously as he was afraid too much would chase Magnus off. He only bumped his slit against’ Magnus’ twice, as when he went around for the third time, he noticed Magnus’ body seemed to have no reaction.

               That was odd considering whenever prize mers rubbed against him the tip of his shaft would peak out the top of his slit. It would never extend fully, not until he had a prize to claim, but it was often a sign of interest.

               _Please._

               He tried to bump against Magnus again, making his peeps of submission louder until large hands grabbed his wrists and halted his movement abruptly.

               “Rodimus.”

               “No! Wait, wait, let me try again! Please, I can do better. I can do better, just let me try again!” He pulled on his wrists, panicking as the crushing reality that Magnus wasn’t interested in him started to sink in a little too fast for his liking. “Please, let me try again!” He kept pulling, baring his fangs at the whale of a mer when he wouldn’t let go.

               “Rodimus,” Magnus said again, his voice calm and cool as he pulled the struggling mer against his chest. Releasing one of Rodimus’ wrists, Magnus placed his hand on the red and gold mer’s back, pressing him harder into his body, “You don’t have to dance for me.”

               Looking up with wide eyes at that large blue face with the gentlest of smiles, Rodimus tried to swallow down the huge knot trapped in his throat.

               “What?” He was terribly confused now, blinking in surprise when Magnus leaned down and nuzzled his cheek. He could hear the big Mer purring now, his tongue licking at his cheek before he leaned back enough to lick the tip of his nose.

               “You don’t have to dance for me.” Taking Rodimus’ little hand, Magnus pressed it against his cheek. “You never had to dance for me.”

               “I don’t understand.”

               “Swim with me.” Leaning back and allowing his body to sink in the water, Magnus held Rodimus gently against his chest, giving him the option to break away if he wanted.

               Together they fell, slowly twirling around in the water and bumping their heads together affectionately. They traded soft peeps between one another, intertwining their tails to keep each other from floating away.

               “Are you sure you want me?” Magnus’ voice was soft, rubbing his fingers into Rodimus’ spine. “I love you too… but-” He looked up, their eyes locking onto one another.

               “I have never been more sure in all my life.” Leaving a random string of kisses along Magnus’ jaw line, Rodimus took a deep breath. “At first I wasn’t sure why my heart always fluttered when I was around you. It took me all this time to realize that I think I love you and I want you to stay. I don’t want you to migrate when the season is over, I want you to stay here and I want to help you build a nest. Mags please, I think I really love you.” Taking Magnus’ big hands into his own, he pressed those large palms into his cheeks. “Please.”

               Magnus smiled, watching Rodimus squish his own cheeks together. He was adorable, beautiful, and terribly wonderful in every which way.

               “It would be an honor-” Magnus began, his lower half suddenly grinding against Rodimus’ swollen slit, “to be your mate.” His own heart fluttered as he watched Rodimus’ face light up.

               Pushing Rodimus down into the sand with gentle hands, Magnus towered over him. He was so tiny compared to him, and it had been so long since he had last courted somebody, he would have to remember to be gentle. He was used to the large whale like bodies of his old pod; a sleek mer like Rodimus needed a kinder touch. Just the thought of being able to explore Rodimus’ body had his heart fluttering.

               Leaning down, Magnus pressed his nose into Rodimus’ belly, worshiping the flesh. Rodimus was so warm and soft, and he soaked it in, cherishing every inch. He grazed his teeth across it, feeling the flesh twitch in reaction before leaving a little lick of affection.

               Below, Rodimus’ genital slit parted a bit as the tip of his shaft peeked out. In a matter of seconds it was at full length, swollen and twitching each time Magnus ground down against it.

               “M-Mags.” Rodimus choked out, his body coursing waves of heat from his slit all the way down to the tip of his tail.

               “You’re alright.” Magnus cooed, licking Rodimus’ cheek to help relax him. “You’re okay.” Reaching a hand down between them, Magnus half cupped his hand around Rodimus’ shaft, not quite touching it.

               “May I?” He waited, watching Rodimus’ face closely. The red mer nodded, his eyes squeezing shut when he felt Magnus’ powerful hand squeeze and start to stroke.

               “M-Mags!” Hiding his face into Magnus’ shoulder, Rodimus’ hips bucked into the larger mer’s palm. Sure he had done something like this to himself when he was alone, but he never imagined someone else touching him like this could _feel this good_.

               As he stroked, Magnus felt his own genital slit throbbing below him. He shifted his hips from side to side, rubbing his bulging slit against Rodimus’ lower tail.   He had done a great job at keeping his own shaft tucked inside of its sheath, but now the pink tip peeped out.

               “Are you ready?” Magnus halted his stroking, putting all of his attention on the sweet little face.

               With a nod, Rodimus dipped his head when Magnus placed a kiss atop it. The larger mer released his shaft and moved himself upward and aligned their slits. With a soft grunt, the rest of Magnus’ shaft slipped out of its sheath. It nosed roughly against Rodimus’ slit, making him jump and grab onto Magnus’ arms for support.

               He had expected Magnus to dive right in, but instead he just rubbed against his genital folds, drawing out dull pangs of pleasure that had his mouth hanging open slightly. He kept rubbing, at least for a few minutes before angling himself better and starting to penetrate.

               “M-Mags-” Rodimus choked out, digging his claws into the whale’s back as he felt the shaft pushing into him. His genital fold spread wider and wider to accommodate the shaft’s size, already straining when they reached the halfway point.

               “Mhm~” Magnus rumbled above him, licking his face and cuddling him when he whimpered. He eased his hips back and forth as slowly as he could, sinking himself lower and lower every few minutes until finally their hips touched.

               “Oh Mags, oh Mags you feel so good.” Rodimus sobbed softly into the Magnus’ chest, mouthing over the large muscles and groaning into them when he felt him shift.

               His genital slit felt like it was on fire, but in the best possible way. Magnus had been an even better mate than he had dreamed. When he seemed to move to fast and heard Rodimus whine he would slow and lick his nose or his neck. He seemed to listen to everything he had to say, it was perfect.

               Hips wiggling back and forth a little faster now, Magnus started to pant. He dug his claws into the sand at each side of Rodimus’ head, his tail still tightly curled around Rodimus.

               The shaft dug in and out rapidly, having worked up a quick rhythm that had the two of them grunting and huffing into one another before Rodimus was the first to start to squirm.

               His slit throbbed, clenching down and biting at Magnus’ shaft, feeling every spiny nub that was catching against the sensitive flesh. It seemed to swell inside of him, causing him deeper waves of pleasure the longer they wiggled together.

               “M-Mags… something is… something-” Rodimus’ felt his slit clenching harder and harder around Magnus’ working shaft. The pleasure was getting heavier and heavier, almost too much for him to handle.

               “It’s okay.” Voice gritty with arousal, Magnus wrapped his arms around Rodimus to keep him in place when he reached his peak.

               “MAGS!” Rodimus jerked hard against him, his slit biting hard as he was thrown over the edge. Cumming for the first time, his body tensed under the larger mer, completely at his mercy as he kept working his hips back and forth into the sputtering slit. He hugged Rodimus even closer, letting him scream into his shoulder as loud as he wanted.

               Bumping his hips hard against the red and gold mer, Magnus squeezed his eyes shut. Shaft swelling, Magnus let out a feral snarl as he reached his limit, spilling thick streams of seed into Rodimus’ slit.

               He could feel Rodimus relax first, his body shivering as the warm seed was deposited.  He started to purr almost immediately, licking Magnus’ neck in long laps and peeping at him in approval. He tried to pull his hips away, but Magnus squeezed his close.

               “Don’t.” He was slightly out of breath and out of practice. “You’re stuck on my knot.” He shifted slightly, and Rodimus could now feel the fullness and lack of space left inside of him. “We’re going to be stuck like this for a few minutes.” He was happy to see Rodimus’ didn’t look disappointed by this; in fact he seemed rather pleased with it.

               “That doesn’t sound too bad.” Smiling, Rodimus cupped Magnus’ cheeks, kissing the tip of his nose before the big mer wrapped an arm around him and rolled the two of them over. Now on his back, Magnus let Rodimus rest his head on his chest.

               “I’m so happy.” Rubbing his fingers against one of Magnus’ protruding pectorals, Rodimus closed his eyes, just listening to the mer below him breath. “I’m so happy.” He slipped his free hand down between them, rubbing his flat belly. “Pups, I get to have pups-” His fins fluttered, “with you.” While he spoke, his own shaft slowly slipped back into its sheath.

               “I don’t want to disappoint you, but having a fertile clutch your first mating season is rare. Even on the second. Your third or fourth try will usual hail you a fertile clutch of eggs.” Rubbing Rodimus’ back, Magnus played with one of the golden fins. “We’re just going to have to try often.” Letting his hand come to rest on the top of Rodimus’ head, Magnus smiled at the thought of a new family, a new start. He would protect them this time, nothing bad would happen. He wouldn’t allow it.

 

* * *

 

Kup watched from the deck as the sun sank below the horizon line, staining the sky with the most beautiful pastel pink he had seen during the season.

                He had his head resting in the good doctor’s laps, soaking up the loving head pets. They often sat out on the desk, Kup dozing on and off while Ratchet read some random book that suited his fancy.

                It had been a relatively quiet afternoon, at until Kup abruptly sat up, knocking the book right of of Ratchet’s hand.

                “Kup?!” Ratchet jumped and glared at Kup, his angry look fading when he noticed Kup hyper focused in one direction.

                Following his gaze to the ocean, Ratchet squinted as he could make out a small little mass making it’s way to shore. He couldn’t figure out what it was right away, at least not until he shrieked and honked its way up onto the sands.

                “Roddy?” Kup looked from Rodimus rushing up the beach to Ratchet, who had a worried expression.

                Together they got up, heading down the stairs to meet Rodimus half way.

                “Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you alright?” Kup peeped at Rodimus, flopping across the sand as fast as his arms could take him. He had expected to see Rodimus all torn up, covered in wounds, and upset, but instead he seemed to glow. “What happened?” Kup skidded in the sand as he came to a stop, panting hard as he had winded himself.

                Ratchet walked up next to him, setting his hand down on Kup’s shoulder, then looking down at Rodimus.

                “I have someone I want you two to meet!” Rodimus took each one of their hands into his own and lightly pulled them closer to the water. As they were tugged they looked at each other, shrugging as they were not quite sure what Rodimus was up too.

                Releasing their hands, Rodimus scooted himself into the water, opened his mouth and let out a shrill cry. He turned back around to Ratchet and Kup waiting patiently on the sand for any kind of explanation.

                Slowly, a large mass started to make it’s way out from under the water. It towered over Rodimus, moving closer and closer to him until it was right behind him.

                “This is Ultra Magnus,” Rodimus’ wagged his tail, “my mate.”

                Clasping his hands together, Kup’s eyes shimmered. He flopped his tail against the ground and immediately scooted himself closer to the two of them.

                Left behind, with his mouth hanging open and his chin pretty much in the sand, Ratchet stared. Never before had he seen a mer so large, even Springer wasn’t nearly half the size of this one.

                Magnus shifted uneasily behind Rodimus, his attempt to hide behind the red and gold mer failing miserably. He peeped at Kup, the two wiggling their fins at one another but when Ratchet stepped closer, Magnus sank back into the water, his fins pinned themselves backwards.

                He sank back in the water when Ratchet took a step closer, pausing when he registered the larger mers body language.

                Turning to face Magnus, Rodimus scooted up to him and nuzzled him under his chin.

                “It’s okay. Ratchet is okay, I promise.” He could feel Magnus fluffing himself up to look scary, but the moment he pressed himself against his chest, he relaxed. “It’s okay. It’s safe here. I promise.” The little licks Rodimus left under his jaw comforted him, and he nodded, moving closer to the human.

                “Ultra Magnus.” The big blue mer slowly extended his hand to the good doctor.

                “Ratchet, nice to meet you.” Sliding his hand into Magnus, they shook, and Ratchet gave him a small smile. “Are you two hungry? I have some fresh cod I caught this morning that I can toss on the grill.” Ratchet watched Magnus tilt his head, curious.

                “Grill?” Magnus looked at Rodimus who was wagging his tail, really into the idea of a grilled fish. “What is this… grill?” Leaning out from behind Rodimus, Magnus scooted a little closer to Ratchet, wanting to hear his explanation for this mysterious thing.

     

* * *

 

 

Magnus hadn’t been ready to enter the house, still terribly nervous and needing to get used to Ratchet, he decided to sleep under the deck.

                Snuggled close to him, under his arm, Rodimus stayed tucked against him. Warm and happy, the smaller mer purred as Magnus groomed him.

                He licked the back of his neck, nibbled on his fins, paused to lick at his own arms, then returned his attention to Rodimus slightly dirty cheeks.

                “I’m so happy you’re here.” Rodimus’ eyes were heavy, and he struggled to keep them open.

                “Me too.” hunkering down, Magnus curled his tail around Rodimus, the two fading off into a happy slumber.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel: [Tidal](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7925503)  
> 


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